National Hispanic Heritage Month, which honors the contributions of Hispanic Americans, will be observed from Sept. 15-Oct. 15.
This year’s theme is “Hispanic Americans: Embracing, Enriching and Enabling America.”
The United States is home to more than 56 million Hispanic people, or 17.6 percent of the population.
More than 65,600 Postal Service employees — or about 10.3 percent of the USPS workforce — identify as Hispanic or Latino, up from 9.8 percent last year.
“Hispanic employees are a vital segment of our employee population,” said Employee Resource Management VP Nancy Rettinhouse. “We recognize their contributions and those of the Hispanic community. We proudly honor this observance.”
Hispanic Americans include individuals who have roots in Puerto Rico, Cuba, Mexico, Spain, the Dominican Republic, and other Spanish-speaking countries of Central America and South America.
National Hispanic Heritage Month begins Sept. 15 because Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua mark their independence on this date. Mexico, Chile and Belize also celebrate their independence during the month.
The Multicultural Resources Blue page has more information.